[[WesternAnimation Cartoons]] having [[AnAesop morals]] is nothing new, [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped but that doesn't mean a few of them aren't worth listening to.]]----* ''SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped/SouthPark''* In one of the AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle segments in He-Man, He-Man and She-Ra addressed the problem of sexual abuse. After the episode ran, at least one kid was able to come forward and admit to his parents about being sexually abused.* The ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Surro-Gate", which is about gay people adopting. Sure, the episode isn't as sentimental as the other episodes listed here but it's nice.** It also shows that extremists on both sides can be complete hypocrites.** "American Dad After School Special" shows that eating disorders aren't just something that can happen to women and teenaged girls, as men and boys can become obsessed with their bodies to the point of becoming bulimic and/or anorexic (even though the eating disorder counselor doesn't realize this, as he still refers to Stan as a teenaged girl and thinks the fact that Stan doesn't have his period is from anorexia drying up his ovaries like tobacco in the sun).** "Daddy Queerest" shows that some homophobes can have no reason to dislike gays, and that sometimes, you can't change their ways. Here Stan tries to convince Terry's father to accept him for who is, but he instead tells them he just doesn't like them and leaves. When Terry gets incensed at it, Greg tells him to forget it and move on.*** Also, loved ones and family members who can't accept who you really are don't love you as much as you think they do. ** "The Boring Identity" and "Haylias": Trying to change someone to fit your own needs is ''a very bad idea''.** "Vision: Impossible" shows that it is better to take some risks in life than constantly worrying about whether the outcome of your actions will be good or bad in the future.** "Stan's Best Friend": Sometimes euthanasia is necessary when it comes to pets.** "The Shrink": The world is often scary and unpredictable, and you can't control what happens. But you ''do'' control what you do after those things, and your family will always help you through it.** "[=LGBSteve=]" not only had a VerySpecialEpisode on gender identity that was quite popular with adult animation in UsefulNotes/TheNewTens, but also claimed that even the most seemingly open-minded and progressive people can sometimes make mistakes, and it doesn't automatically make them a bad person. * ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' had a [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop very family unfriendly]] but realistic Aesop in the episode "Bully for Skippy," which tells us that sometimes if you are faced with a bully who physically harms you, some authority figures may not listen/be able to help you, and you may just have to resort to fighting back in order to protect your well being. * As anyone who works with children of ''any'' age can tell you, "WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'s Big Hit" is kind of this towards DisproportionateRetribution. Yeah, what D.W. did was wrong[[note]] And she did herself no favors by pulling a NeverMyFault rather than actually apologizing[[/note]], but what Arthur did was ''also'' wrong. He didn't understand ''why'' it was wrong. However, the main problem with the episode in the first place was that it was handled too {{Anvilicious}}ly. While Arthur was punished and was villainized by everyone around him, D.W. [[KarmaHoudini got no comeuppance whatsoever]], so it's easy to see why the anvil is ignored. * The central plot of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' is that WarIsHell. -->'''Zuko''': Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was! The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don’t see our greatness - they hate us! And we deserve it. We’ve created an era of fear in the world. And if we don’t want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.** The show features two notable ones which Iroh gives out: "No one can give you honor or self-worth except yourself." (Zuko) "Power and perfection are overrated." (Aang)** In the episode "The Deserter", Aang discovers a Firebending master and is eager to learn firebending. The master is reluctant because he knows Aang has not mastered water and earth (and true focus) yet. To start with baby steps, the master gives Aang a tiny leaf to burn in a very controlled fashion, [[CynicalMentor though he doesn't bother to explain the lesson's purpose]]. But an impatient Aang yearns to show off his potential and creates giant flames that badly burn Katara, much to his horror. Distraught, Aang decides he will never firebend again and suppresses his firebending abilities (until the later 3rd season). Katara reminds Aang that he has to learn firebending someday, just not now. Even if you feel you have more potential, dangerous lessons must be learned gradually. And if you mess up real terribly, it does not mean you must abandon learning it; you will learn it someday, but not today. A later third season episodes completes the Aesop that a dangerous ability can be beautiful and vital once you understand control and its meaning. Zuko and Aang learn this when [[spoiler: they witness the last two dragons on Earth fire beautiful flames around them without burning them.]]** "Zuko Alone" has two: Even the 'good' side in a war can be morally ambiguous, and it's unrealistic to expect long-lasting enmity to be smoothed over by a single act.** The horrific breakdown of Azula drives home the point that [[MachiavelliWasWrong you can't keep people from hurting you by controlling them with fear]], because love, like the love Mai had for Zuko, is more important.** Being a good parent isn't about loving your child because they meet your expectations, it's about ''always'' loving your child even though they've lost their way. The series demonstrates this by contrasting [[AbusiveParents Ozai]] and [[ParentalSubstitute Iroh's]] relationships with Zuko, and showing that Iroh was more of a father in the three years he spent with him than Ozai was for the other thirteen. On top of that, a real parent is the one who always loves you no matter what, rather than just being related to you.** "The Painted Lady" had a point: Although all the miracles are blessings, you shouldn't just believe that circumstances will eventually improve, but ''act'' to make things better. It didn't matter if the Painted Lady was real or not -- the fact that they thought that she was acting for them was enough to turn things around and get people hopeful again.** Another anvil is dropped in "The Avatar and The Firelord," by Aang (they did a lot of these in the third season). What's interesting is that it brought all the random, seemingly unconnected plots of the previous episodes, where the Gaang had been laying low in the Fire Nation and interacting with the locals in disguise, and united them under a common theme, simultaneously subverting the BadPowersBadPeople viewpoint that had been prominent in the other two seasons:--->'''Aang''': Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right?? If anything, their story proves anyone's capable of great good ''and'' great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation, have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance.** "The Southern Raiders" takes {{Forgiveness}}, an Aesop commonly found in children's shows ([[EasilyForgiven most of which]] [[{{Narm}} don't handle it very well]]), and completely [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] it. Interesting in that Katara doesn't forgive the man who killed her mother, instead realizing that letting revenge (even ''[[KickTheDog incredibly justified]]'' revenge) dominate her life will destroy her. In the process, she ''does'' forgive Zuko for betraying the Gaang, recognizing that he's trying to atone. It was an intelligent way of handling the Aesop that counts as a {{Reconstruction}}.** Killing people isn't always the answer. It pulls it off rather well by means of WhatYouAreInTheDark; "Aang? If you really want to [[spoiler:defeat Ozai without killing him]], you'll have to ''[[FateWorseThanDeath risk your immortal soul]].'' '''How far are you willing to go for your ideals?"''' Answer: [[spoiler: Aang is without a doubt an AllLovingHero - so he '''''[[EarnYourHappyEnding EARNS his Happy Ending]].''''']]** The theme of sticking to your ideals is especially prevalent, since his mentors (previous avatars), his friends, and pretty much everyone else in the story told him to [[spoiler: kill Ozai]], but instead he stuck with what he thought was right and it worked out for the best.** "It's okay if you've made mistakes - it's never too late to do the right thing", as shown with Zuko's [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn]], ''especially'' after it had been subverted (he had made the wrong choice) in the season 2 finale.** WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra also follows these up. For example, the moral that when trying to fight evil, one should be careful to not become [[HeWhoFightsMonsters as bad as those you fight.]] (For example, many people became anti-bending Equalists so they could prevent the damage that some benders do. When they themselves became dangerous terrorists, powerful benders such as Tarrlok resorted to martial law and internment of the innocent. Both these reactions were wrong).** The major theme of both series seems to be the importance of balance and harmony between different people, aspects of nature and ideals and philosophies.*** Korra's book 4 episode "The Calling" reinforces this by addressing (via Toph) how the villains of the past seasons had noble intentions, yet were too imbalanced in their methods and their goals when they tried to realize those intentions.** A major message of the second season is that you have worth as an individual, no matter what else you are. Tenzin accepted that he was more than just the son of Aang and Korra realized that she has worth beyond simply being the Avatar.** The third season opener has Tenzin give a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech loaded with anvils. For one thing, that change can be either good or bad, depending on your viewpoint, that even someone like the Avatar can't solve all the problems of a city, that even if what you're doing is ultimately to help the world as a whole there are going to be people who don't agree with your choices, and finally that true wisdom comes from accepting reality, and that once some things change, they can never go back to the way they were.** A major message of Book 4 is that fighting for what you believe in does not make it true. It comes across strongly when Bolin discovers that what he believed was right ended up harming others, even the ones he loves.** [[BrokenBird Horrible things happen that can haunt people for the rest of their lives]], but refusing to accept that they happened will only make sure they stay in that sorry state. The strongest method against this weakness is [[FaceYourFears to accept that it happened]], rather than pretend it didn't [[spoiler:as Korra did with her TraumaCongaLine with Zaheer in the conclusion of Season 3]].** This [[http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/12/korra-series-finale-recap-gay-asami article]] gives an insightful and beautiful description of how and why ''The Legend of Korra'' is one of the first cartoons to show the things most TV shows, animated or live-action, don't always do: Racial representation. Body positivity. Badass women who can still be vulnerable, aren't over-sexualized, and aren't over-exaggerated for either being too girly or too tomboyish. The complexity of politics and religion. No agenda of showing that "only girls are awesome", but both genders can be equally as awesome. And probably the most significant impact: [[spoiler:The portrayal, if subtle one, of two women (Korra and Asami) of different races becoming an OfficialCouple]].*** Avatar had it's badass girls as well, see [[http://im-still-flying.tumblr.com/post/106294323816/badass-women-of-avatar-update-of-this-post this post]] for more examples.** [[http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace This post]] by one of the creators averts NoBisexuals in regards to [[spoiler: Korra and Asami becoming an OfficialCouple]].--> '''Bryan Konietzko''': Despite what you might have heard, bisexual people are real!** Parents are not perfect, they won't always make the right choices no matter how much they love us, but we shouldn't let ourselves be blinded by resentment, either for them or our siblings, even when rightly or wrongly they get better lives than us, even if it's not fair for them to get better lives than us. Having said that, back to the show's themes of balance, parents should never prioritize one child over the others, even if there are legitimate safety reasons for it or serious global and environmental importance riding on it, and while parents shouldn't be too controlling they also shouldn't be too hands off when raising their kids, because both can be very damaging to their kids and cause their kids to become alienated from them and their family. Also, parents should never just assume that kids can raise themselves just because the parents might have done that, and parents should not just insensitively ignore their kids personal issues or ignore when their kids hurt each other or side with the kid who inflicted the pain in the first place just because addressing those issues or punishing the kid who did wrong would be inconvenient for the parent. Also, it's really not a good idea to act like it's not your fault when your poor parenting blows up in your face. * "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVkDrIacHJM The Backwater Gospel]]" drops a couple of anvils. It's wrong to persecute/{{scapegoat}} those that are different, and paranoia can absolutely destroy a society.* The ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries' episode "Mean Seasons" had VillainOfTheWeek Calendar Girl, who was once a renowned model but was fired for being unable to compete with younger models. She eventually decides to extract revenge on all the companies and networks who had fired her and ruined her career. Throughout the episode, she always wears a full-face mask since she had so much plastic surgery done before turning evil. But when the police unmask her, she begins to scream and writhe on the ground, horrified that they see her "ugly" face. She is in her late-thirties and just as attractive as the other models seen.--> '''Batgirl''': She's beautiful.\\'''Batman''': She can't see that anymore. All she can see are the flaws.** This one earns bonus points because Calendar Girl was voiced by Sela Ward, who in 1995 was passed up for the role as a [[Film/JamesBond Bond girl]] because "What we really want is Sela, but Sela ten years ago", prompting her to make a documentary called "[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0476645/ The Changing Face of Beauty]]", focusing on the media's obsession with youth and its effect on women.** A huge one regarding domestic abuse is dropped in "Mad Love." Not only does it portray it as a serious issue, but it also shows why victims keep going back to their abusers; the Joker convinces Harley that he still loves her and that's enough to get her back in his grip.** The episode "Never Fear" deconstructs the idea of having no fear by showing why that's not a good thing. Scarecrow uses a poison that causes a person to act without fear. A man who fears heights foolishly swings through Gotham like Batman and almost plummets to his death. A timid employee at Wayne Industries storms into Bruce's office, loudly quits and kisses Wayne's secretary without her consent. Batman murders a crocodile, nearly gets himself killed several times, and threatens to have a man fall to his death for information on where Scarecrow is and doesn't bother saving him when it happens, though fortunately Robin (Tim Drake) steps in. Fear might be something that holds us back, but it can also keep us in check so we don't foolishly endanger our lives or anyone else's.* In the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' series, Ben almost invariably tried for one of the physically strong characters in the watch-at first. The Omnitrix would often shift him to a form that could actually handle the crisis better, or just required him to think to see how it could be useful. Sometimes the anvil was dropped (much) harder then others on the lessons: 1) muscle isn't everything; 2) if you're not handed what you wanted, work with what you have. "Don't be a selfish hothead" also had the anvil dropped a few times.** "You shouldn't be a hero for the thrill of it and the praise afterwards. You should be a hero because it's the right thing to do." An entire episode was dedicated to teaching Ben this, and it's something that can easily apply to other fields. You shouldn't do good things because of praise and[=/=]or because you find it exciting. You should do good things because it's the right thing to do.* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers''** "The Equestrianauts": Don't let a few bad apples sully a generally righteous group's core beliefs.* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'''s "Bojack Hate the Troops" episode displays how something like the armed forces shouldn't be above criticism (in particular how many of them can be utter [[JerkAss assholes]] who abuse their position and accuse anyone disagreeing with them as being "anti-American" and being forced to "respect" them no matter how bad they can be. With cases of this happening, the release of the controversial AmericanSniper movie and talking about police brutality, this becomes pretty relevant. Especially Bojack's speech towards the end;-->'''Bojack:''' You're a hero, the troops are all heroes, every single one.-->'''Bojack:''' And I don't believe saying that cheapens the word and disrespects those we mean to honor by turning real people into political pawns.-->'''Bojack:''' Also, I am NOT deeply ambivalent about a seemingly mandated celebration of our military that claims to value peace, [[BrokenAesop telling our children that violence is never the answer, while refusing to hold our own government to the same standard]].-->'''Bojack:''' Furthermore I do not find it unbelievably appropriate that this conversation is taking place on reality television, a genre which thrives on chopping the complexities of our era into easily digestible chunks of empty catchphrases.** Bojack's blunt speech to Diane about how "family is a sinkhole" and that she was right to leave her awful situation in "Live Fast, Diane Nguyen". For those who grew up in dysfunctional families or have tense relationships with family members, it's refreshing.** Bojack himself is also a good example of depression played very straight and uncompromisingly. ** The episode "Downer Ending" drops the much-needed anvil that the JerkWithAHeartOfGold trope does ''not'' translate to real life and that if you want to be told that you're a good person, then you need to earn it.** "Later" makes it clear from the get-go that being a beloved superstar doesn't mean you've got all the answers. Bojack's idol Secretariat used running as a way to cope with his issues without actually fixing them. When he was banned from racing and could never run again, Secretariat's problems caught up with him and he had no answers for himself.** "Telescope" and "It's You" both drop a harsh but true anvil about how not all apologies can be accepted, especially when you've wronged someone who is worse off than yourself. To truly set things right takes more than just two words, especially if you're just using apologies to feel less guilty for a misdeed that you'll inevitably commit again.* The series ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' features an episode, "The Price", .on drugs. While most shows tend to do the "Drugs aren't cool" presentation and show the users simply being worse at school or sports, this episode drops all subtlety and shows just how far drug abuse can get, as one teen ended up paying [[KilledOffForReal the ultimate price]]. On the flip side, kids who see others doing drugs need to inform their parents or other responsible adults before the worse can happen.* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'' ** ''If It's Doomsday, This Must Be Belfast''. For all its faults[[note]]such as attempting to condense complex history into a version for children, complete with lots of AsYouKnow exposition, [[{{Scotireland}} mangled Scotirish accents]] and Wheeler as the embodiment of AmericaSavesTheDay[[/note]], it delivers a very clear Aesop that long histories of violence and bloodshed are complex, difficult problems without clear heroes and villains or quick, easy solutions, and a secondary one that ''nobody'' wins when a nuclear war is waged.** Also, the episode that focused on a kid being infected with HIV due to a blood transfusion mishap. It wasn't even remotely subtle, but the message that people with HIV or AIDS victims ''don't'' spread the disease by just being around other people, need all the love and support they can get, and can be anyone you know and/or love is an Aesop that audiences back in the 1980s and 1990s needed to know.** The episode about animal testing. After some of the overblown Aesops delivered by the show, the subdued message of "Animal testing is sometimes necessary, but can often be minimized or avoided entirely and should never be used unnecessarily" ''is'' a breath of fresh air.** "The power is yours!" (Translation: "You have the power to change the environment for the better.")* The ''WesternAnimation/ChinaIL'' episode "Total Validation" gives a particularly twisted take on couples therapy clinics, but does conclude that love is not without compromise and that relationships where one person is designated "right" and the other "wrong" are not good for either person.** In another episode, "Bi-Topping-Ality", the Mayor's refusal to sell anchovy pizza at his Church of Pizza restaurant sparks a controversy quite similar to the gay marriage debate that was going on in America at the time. After a theory of an "anchovy gene" is proposed but subsequently disproved, the Mayor finally decides to have all the anchovy eaters in town arrested when Baby Cakes, who has spent the whole episode curious about the forbidden topping, explains that people should be free to make their own choices, live their own lives, and be who they are.-->'''Baby Cakes:''' Who cares why people choose stuff? Maybe DNA, maybe not. Maybe you just want to be someone else for a day. What I mean is -- all right, here's a metaphor. If a guy chooses to marry another guy, he should be able to, right?-->'''Mayor:''' Well, of course. right.-->'''Baby Cakes:''' So, I'm 95% of the time a pepperoni guy, but some days I see an anchovy and I want him in my mouth. And it's that freedom of choice that we need to protect, not science. Science is dumb.* The horror-comedy series ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' ended with an episode entitled "Perfect." In the episode, Courage was depressed that he always seemed to mess up things, and that he was imperfect. Therefore, he conjures up a teacher that only he could see so that she could teach him how to be perfect. Courage undergoes many challenges, and nightmares (like the infamous [[UncannyValley CGI-fetus/trumpet creature]]), so that he could be perfect. It's when he's alone in the bathroom, [[ItMakesSenseInContext a fish appears to him in the bathtub]]. The fish tells him that there's no such thing as perfect and that he was beautiful as the way he is, and he reminds him that with all his imperfections, he could do anything he set his mind on. The teacher then tells Courage to make a perfect number six, which he does, in his own way. The teacher then [[ImMelting melts]] and the episode ends on a high note. The message is essentially: be yourself, and don't take what anyone else tells you with face value. You're beautiful just the way you are.* ''WesternAnimation/DanielTigersNeighborhood'' has two episodes on voting. Daniel doesn't get his choice, but he's told to think of positive things about the alternative. It's a good lesson for everybody. Not bad for a preschool show.* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' had several subtle anvil droppings. Throughout the first season, Danny was terrified about telling his parents about his secret identity, because they hunted ghosts for a living. When he finally does reveal his secret to them, they were completely accepting. It goes to show that you should trust your family with your secrets. They'll love you no matter what.** There's also one in the episode "My Brother's Keeper." Your family's there for you if you ever need them, even if it's just to talk. And even if they can be annoying sometimes that doesn't mean they don't care.** “The Ultimate Enemy” was one of the darkest episodes of the show, but it gave a great example that small things (such as cheating on a test) can often lead to large consequences. * ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales''': The episode ''[[Recap/DuckTalesBlueCollarScrooge Blue Collar Scrooge]]'' is not subtle at all about its themes of relation between workers and bosses, and the workers' rights. But its themes are [[ValuesResonance important to this day]].* Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Disney/EducationForDeath'', as a WartimeCartoon, seems like it'd be an unlikely candidate for this. However, it hammers in the point that ThoseWackyNazis are people just like you, and most of the soldiers are victims of propaganda and a cult of personality around the REAL monsters, like Hitler, Goebbels and Goering, and they're just as afraid of Hitler as you are.** On a similar note, the short [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYvr28-5QKw "Reason and Emotion"]] tells how overly emotional responses to fear and anxiety leads people to believe terrible people who sow hatred by appealing to your hatred and bigotry (granted the short has mild sexism, its holds up very well nowadays).** Then there is original [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnp4kj5lLOU Chicken Little]] short, which shows how people can be taken advantage of, if they'll not think for themselves, but unquestionably believe everything they're told..* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' "It's a Wishful Life" "Do nice things to be nice, not to be rewarded." Granted, it could've come across better in the episode, but it's still an important moral nonetheless. ** The first episode with Chip Skylark shows that celebrities are real people just like us tropers, and some of them might not even like being famous.* The ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "The Juice is Loose" delivers two: [[AffablyEvil Cold-blooded, psychopathic killers can behave just as normally and friendly as your next-door neighbor]], and [[BrokenPedestal idol worship sometimes isn't worth it, especially if your idol is a cold-blooded psychopathic killer.]]** "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" is more of a straight example of {{Anvilicious}} as it was very poorly executed through the author surrogate, comes off as rather mean-spirited because of it, and due to Brian's atheism only having been established recently. But it *does* have a few good morals:*** Irrationality and fundamentalism in religion can be a ''very'' dangerous thing (if you want real-world proof of that, check out the Westboro Baptist Church or any Islamic fundamentalist with a death wish).*** Sometimes religion may not give you satisfactory answers on why we're here and why life is what it is (though had the writers also added, "...but it doesn't mean you should give it up just because an atheist points out that your life sucks so much that believing in (a benevolent) God is a waste of time," then the episode would actually be commended for its thoughts on religion and atheism, not trashed for it).*** Much like the moral on "The Juice is Loose," idol worship of your favorite celebrities is not worth it, as they're human and can be whiny assholes (cf. the "Stewie spends the day with the cast of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' after missing out on asking them questions at a sci-fi convention" plotline, plus Meg gets introduced to Christianity by Kirk Cameron, whose viewpoints have strongly divided Christians and non-Christians alike)** "Friends Of Peter G.": "Keep you addictions in moderation."** Peter's speech at the end of "Boys Do Cry" saying that TV viewers with children should actually be the ones who care about what their children watch and not have to rely on TV show creators to tone down the content.** There's also "Peter-assment" for challenging the DoubleStandard by having Peter a nervous wreck from being sexually harassed by his female boss and his family and friends not giving a crap about it, as they either believe that women can get away with sexually harassing men, or they think the notion is ridiculous. In fact, one reviewer of the episode criticized the plot, but praised it for actually showing that sexual harassment isn't always a man giving a woman unwanted attention.** "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q." portrays DomesticAbuse in an accurate and serious way and gives us the message that domestic violence is horrible and that abusive men like Jeff will never change their ways -- [[HypocriticalHumor this coming from a show that shows women getting abused and made fun of for laughs, often by other men]].-->'''Joe:''' Quagmire, you're talking about murdering a guy. It doesn't matter what he's done, it's still murder.-->'''Quagmire:''' No, Joe! It ''does'' matter what he's done! These people won't change! Y-You think they suddenly wake up and see the error of their ways and clean up their act?! NO!! They just keep ruining other people's lives, and the world is better off without them!** "Extra-Large Medium": Not every person with special needs (i.e., the girl with Down Syndrome Chris had a crush on) is a nice person and using DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery is not okay.** "I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar": Feminism is about what women can choose to be (even if they choose to get married and have kids) and men need to be more sensitive to women and realize they're people too.*** Also, being ''over''sensitive can be just as bad as being ''in''sensitive.** "Farmer Guy": If you have problems in your community, you don't leave town (unless it's a threat to yourself or your family). You stay and try to make things better.** Similar to "Peter-assment" above, in "Baby Got Black", Peter and Jerome get into an argument over the latter not letting his daughter date Chris, and Jerome says that black people can't be racist when the Peter claims that he is. The episode shows that, either way, racism is racism no matter which group is discriminating.* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fillmore}}'' has a surprising view on the modern school systems for a Disney cartoon. In "Test of the Tested", the show has Ingrid, the smartest student in the school, fill out the Satty-9 test effortlessly and soon feels guilt for those who struggled through it. She points out that kids have much more intelligence than what they can show on standardized tests (Seth, suspect of the week makes cartoons and invented a wallet that makes candy bars not melt in your pocket) and says it’s a terrible system to put in place. Considering that this was made during the Bush administration and this subject hasn't gone away, it’s pretty refreshing.** ''Masterstroke of Malevolence'' drops one for artists, saying that ''any'' work can mean something to it's audience and that meaning is important, even if it’s not the one the creator intended.** In "South of Friendship, North of Honor", Wayne [[BrokenBird is broken]] after his partner Emily was bullied off the force and out of their school, an event for which he blames himself and which he deals with by looking the other way no matter what the rest of the [[CorruptHick corrupt safety patrol]] do. Through Fillmore's encouragement, Wayne (and the audience) realize that lying down and watching wrongdoing be done is not only a surefire way for a place to become unsafe for citizens, but also a way to turn you into something you don't like and can't respect.* ''WesternAnimation/FiremanSam'' had a OnceAnEpisode Aesop about some aspect of personal safety that was never even remotely subtle, but highly effective. Being [[BackedByThePentagon Backed By The Fire Brigade]] helped.* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':** "The Cyber House Rules": Your real friends are the ones who care about you no matter what you look like. Fitting in for shallow reasons is overrated, and people who are shallow don't care about you as much as you think.** "The Why of Fry": You're more important than you think you are. In fact, you could be the most important person to someone else.** "The Luck of the Fryish" and "Cold Warriors": Your family does love you at the end of the day, even if it looks like they don't show it.** "The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz": As unpleasant as it may be, hunting is a necessity, not evil and helps prevent overpopulation, depletion of food sources and mass starvation.* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'':** "Binky Gets Canceled...Again!" [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin As the title implies,]] Binky's popular kids' show is canceled after parents complain that the program isn't educational. Binky points out that he does something different: "I make children laugh! I entertain!" The station manager then declares that entertaining simply isn't enough for children's shows anymore -- they need to have "social content" to get airtime. This seems to be a reaction against {{Anvilicious}} programs that treat kids like idiots while hammering home countless Aesops. It's not subtle, but it does make the legitimate claim that it's OK for children to simply have fun and enjoy themselves while watching television, rather than constantly having to learn something from it.** Thanks to show writer Creator/MarkEvanier, every time the Buddy Bears show up, we get a message about groupthink and TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong, namely that blindly following the group and being unable to form your own opinions is not the way to be.* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' episode "Deadly Force" is anything but subtle about its message, but is generally considered one of the best episodes of the series for treating its subject matter with respect, and instead of using the easy {{Aesop}}, "Guns will kill you if you even so much as think about them," they opt for the more mature and reasonable, "Guns are only dangerous if you don't know how to handle them."** Also with their gun episode, they subtly drop the Aesop of teaching kids the difference between what they see on the TV screen and what's real. Hudson references this early on and Broadway's imitation of his cowboy heroes nearly kills Eliza.** The show also lays it on thick about the pointlessness of revenge and how [[CycleOfRevenge killing causes more problems than it solves]]. This is reinforced by David Xanatos. Why is he such a successful, well regarded, and enduring villain? Because he ''doesn't go in for revenge''-- '''ever'''. While villains in other cartoons inevitably [[MotiveDecay forget their original goals to seek revenge on the heroes]], Xanatos never even holds a grudge because, as he put it, "Revenge is a sucker's game."*** It's also reinforced by "City of Stone" and "Hunter's Moon."-->'''Goliath:''' No! Killing [Demona] won't solve anything! Death never does!\\'''Luna:''' He is right, Macbeth. Duncan was afraid that your father would make you king. [[SelfFulfillingProphecy Did your father's death stop you from becoming king?]]\\'''Macbeth:''' [[YouCantFightFate No!]]\\'''Seline:''' You wanted revenge for your father. [[CycleOfRevenge Did Gillecomgain's death settle that score?]]\\'''Macbeth:''' No.\\'''Phoebe:''' [[SenselessSacrifice Did your own death save your son Luach from Canmore?]]\\'''Macbeth:''' No...\\'''Goliath:''' Death is never the answer; life is!* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', among other things, is known for the lessons it ''will'' drop hard when it needs to be said.** A sad, but true, one is presented with "Summerween": at some point, the world is going to tell you that you're too old for things like Halloween and trick-or-treating, so it's better to enjoy it while you can than spend time worrying about what older kids think of it.** "Boss Mabel" shows that while there's nothing wrong with treating your employees with more respect, don't be too nice or else your employees will walk all over you.** "Sock Opera": you should be willing to make sacrifices for the ones you love, and if someone has aided you at detriment to their own goals, you should help them in return. ** "Society of the Blind Eye" gives the message that while everyone has things they'd rather forget, extreme denial isn't healthy. Instead you should learn from the experiences.** "Blendin's Game": The people worth your time are the ones that care about you and are willing to go the extra mile to make you happy. If a relative abandons you, they are not worth your time and attention.** "Northwest Mansion Mystery": Just because you have such a despicable upbringing doesn't mean you're doomed to follow in the footsteps of your abusers. It's never too late to change your ways.** "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons: You don't have to like or play something someone else likes or plays. However, that still doesn't give you the right to mock them for liking it either. Especially notable, as it subverts the average "Try It and You'll Like It" {{Aesop}}** "The Stanchurian Candidate" explains to political candidates the dangers of speaking your mind without getting your priorities straight. ''Very'' timely, given that it came out around the rise of controversies regarding "Tell it like it is" presidential candidates, most notable Creator/DonaldTrump.** One of the overriding themes of the series is the PowerOfTrust. Lying to people, especially your loves ones, in a misguided attempt to protect them or yourself, or doing so out of a sense of mistrust can lead to conflict. The biggest mistake [[spoiler: Grunkle Ford]] made was not telling [[spoiler: Stan the truth about the portal, instead keeping the danger from him]]. Stan nearly destroyed his relationship with Dipper, Mabel, and even Soos [[spoiler: by lying to them about the portal and what he was planning]]. Dipper [[spoiler: nearly erased Ford's memories after discovering the fact that he didn't tell him about his work with Bill]]. ** No matter how unlikely it may seem, if you can truly get to and understand them, there will be opportunities for you to bury the hatchet with former enemies. Pacifica was able to befriend Dipper and Mable after spending time with them and letting them know about her, [[spoiler: Ford and Stan were able to rekindle their friendship after talking with each other and realizing they had let their anger go too far, and Gideon [[HazyFaceTurn (To an extent)]] has realized what he's done and decided to try and become a better person.]]* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqziaQxAsMA The Hangman]]'' tells the story of a moral coward who watches as everyone in his town is hung one by one. First a foreigner, then a man who protested the first hanging, then a jew, then a black, and so on. Eventually the cowardly narrator gets his turn on the gallows tree for the crime of being too cowardly to stand up for the previous victims. The message is very obvious (You have a moral duty to stand up to injustice, or you'll be a victim of it), but it's horribly effective in its beautifully macabre style. * ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'': The last wild places in the world are worth protecting and preserving.** "Your way of doing things is not inherently better than my way just because of tradition."* The ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' episodes "Helga and the Nanny" and "Helga on the Couch" say that while {{Jerkass Woobie}}s like Helga need all the love and help they can get, they have to drop their hostilities and accept that help for it to do any good.** The infamous "Arnold Betrays Iggy", though hated for being mean-spirited in Arnold's humiliation, does teach an important moral in [[DownerEnding a particularly harsh manner]]: it's not worth staying friends with someone who is unwilling to forgive their grudge against you, especially if they refuse to hear your side of the story. * On the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Flash and Substance" -- it's okay to be happy, and feel good after a job well done. You don't ''have'' to be emo, depressed, or "dark" for people to like you -- and you should [[NiceToTheWaiter always be kind to those weaker than you]]. Maybe this isn't an aesop-- but in a world of dark and depressing storylines to show how [[CrapsackWorld awful]] the world is, and how [[HumansAreBastards horrible the people are]], it's nice to see someone out and out say that they have good days. And you don't have to beat the snot out of the bad guys. Maybe you could help them get the treatment they really need.** The contrast between Flash's style in Central City and that of the visiting Batman is wonderfully brought home when Flash quietly talks The Trickster down -- said Trickster voiced by [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker the King Of Bat-Villain's]] VA, MarkHamill, speaking in something very close to his normal voice. Batman even looks envious, and shows his respect for Flash.** The "Better World" two-parter drops a solid aesop. Tyranny is ''not'' worth a peaceful society. This is shown in the scene where Batman and his Justice Lord counterpart visit the alternate Gotham City: clean, prosperous... [[DisproportionateRetribution but you can go to jail for complaining about a restaurant check.]] Yes oppression doesn't have to mean masses of chained individuals being whipped, but it can be oppressive in other ways. It also justifies ThouShaltNotKill, with a simple notion. [[ItGetsEasier The more you kill, the easier it can become.]] The whole Justice Lords world starts when Superman kills Lex Luthor: after a few years, the Justice Lord Superman has [[JumpingoffTheSlipperySlope no qualms about killing the Flash]] when it was his murder by Luthor that turned them into the Justice Lords.** On a more significant note, regardless if that world's Luthor rigged the election to win which started the whole mess in the first place, the people themselves who had put him in office still shared the responsibility and ended up paying for it with their freedom. In turn, the Justice Lords reacted in a way that they saw would address what the world wanted/needed, thus resulting in said tyranny. Which hammers home another aesop; heroes are people too, and if pushed too far by the very ones they had sworn to protect, it wouldn't be that far off that they'll either turn on you, stop caring, or end up doing what the Lords did.* The ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "Tick-Tick-Tick" drops the very important {{Aesop}} "The rules apply to ''everyone'', and you should never expect to get off light for breaking the rules because of your station in life". In the episode's major subplot, Mr. Barkin sends Kim to detention after she's repeatedly late to class, which ends up getting Kim ridiculed by her peers because she's a cheerleader. Since cheerleaders are at the absolute top of Middleton High's social totem pole, everyone takes it as a given that "cheerleaders don't ''do'' detention". It seems like a pretty light-hearted plot, until you realize that [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything the message could be pretty aptly applied to a story about an upper-class woman breaking the law and expecting lenient treatment from the police]].-->'''Mr. Possible:''' Sounds like your Mr. Barkin is tough but fair.\\'''Kim:''' Dad, I'm a cheerleader! We don't ''do'' detention!\\'''Mrs. Possible:''' Really? Who ''does'' do detention?\\'''Kim:''' I don't know. Other kids. ''({{beat}})'' Ones who break the rules.\\'''Mr. Possible:''' Like ''you'' did.* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' episode "Petriot Act" can be "Don't let blind patriotism rule your decisions. If you wanted to do something big like care for a soldier's pet, do it after you have your huge vacation that your family has been dreaming of for awhile." Hank learned that [[CatsAreMean the hard way]].** "Husky Bobby": Not everyone appreciates fat people, kids can be cruel, and parents really do know what's best for their kids, even if what they do feels unfair or "not right." (In fact, the other two Aesops can apply to a lot of episodes where Bobby does something that embarrasses Hank and Hank has to bail him out)** The episode about carbon offsets drops the anvil that fad environmentalism should not discredit the fact that many earth-friendly measures are down-to-earth, practical wisdom that are still valid.* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''** The classic short "WesternAnimation/DuckDodgersInTheTwentyFourthAndAHalfCentury" features Duck Dodgers in an EscalatingWar over Planet X with Marvin the Martian, to the point where they both use their "Secret Weapons". Dodgers succeeds in claiming Planet X, by which time it's roughly the size of an end table. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything A parable of the futility of nuclear war?]] Maybe. Jones probably didn't intend it to be so and he didn't actively set out to teach viewers this, but, if you know anything about the Cold War and the fears people had about nuclear war, it's hard not to see this.** "The Ducktators" shows that sometimes, peace talks won't change the policies of evil dictators and that war is the only solution.* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' uses Lincoln wanting to sit at the adult table as a metaphor for not being in a rush to grow up and enjoying your childhood. * The 1938 Creator/FrankTashlin directed cartoon ''WesternAnimation/WhollySmoke'' is an interesting example of this. Had the cartoon been made today, it would seem anvilicious beyond belief. However, in the late-1930's (when most people had little to no awareness of how bad smoking was for them), a cartoon with a direct anti-smoking message was practically unheard of. So, given its context, this short certainly qualifies. (That is, if it was made for health reasons. Plenty of people opposed smoking in the '30s, but for moral/religious reasons rather than medical ones.)* While tracking down Norman's nemesis via his trail of destruction in ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax'', they arrive at a house whose occupants were slaughtered. Norman was the only one to see the carnage and absolutely refused to allow Max to enter. Max tried to reason that he has plenty of experience with violence on television. Max tries to enter, but is blocked by Norman, who replies that he should not go in there. When Max asks why, Virgil responds simply, "Real violence has real consequences." It makes it clear that there is a difference between the violence you see on TV and the violence that happens in the real world.* "Franchise/MonsterHigh and Kind Campaign: The Shockumentary." Anyone-on-anyone hostility, especially bullying, is NEVER hot or right and we should never think it can be either one no matter what. Just as bullying can be our problem, so too the solution can come from us as well. We must always try to "find kind"--the kindness within everyone.** "Fright On!" has a surprising one: It's good to be in touch with your culture/heritage, but you shouldn't let it take over your identity and prevent you from accepting others.* Almost every episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' contains a lesson on friendship, but the episode is not written by the lesson, but the lesson by the episode.** "Suited for Success" has a twofold moral: the first is "you shouldn't try to please everyone, because you'll often please no one", and the second is "don't look a gift horse in the mouth". "Applebuck Season" is all about how it's okay to ask your friends for help when you really need it (and also that it's ok to say no if you don't have the time/means to help everyone). And "Green Isn't Your Color" manages to do a pretty good job of explaining that some secrets are okay to keep, and some aren't.** Over a Barrel: The natives vs. settlers conflict has no clear cut good guy or bad guy. But solutions and compromises can be reached- though not always easily, but still possible.** Boast Busters: Being talented doesn't make you a bad person, but thinking that your talents make you better then everyone else does. Also, [[SpoofAesop mustaches are awesome]].** "A Dog and Pony Show": Just because someone is feminine, doesn't mean they're helpless.** The Best Night Ever: Reality doesn't always live up to expectations. Also, the company of good friends can make anything better.** The Return of Harmony: Friendship isn't always easy, but it's worth fighting for.** Secret of My Excess: The joy of gift-giving is making someone you care about happy, not getting things for yourself. While Spike turning into a giant greed monster and nearly destroying the town is about as unsubtle as you can get, it's also a ''very'' important lesson to teach young kids, as they tend to see birthdays as just "most stuff for me". ** Hearth's Warming Eve: When people spend more time attacking each other than the problem, the problem does not get solved** Hearts and Hooves Day: You don't need a "Special Somepony" to be happy on the day dedicated for it.** From "Putting your hoof down", the aesop of "No means no". Given that a ''lot'' of people just assume "No, I'm not interested" to mean "Keep pressing and bugging me more - maybe I'll demonstrate interest", this is a ''VERY'' solid Aesop.*** [[DoubleAesop Alternatively]], "There is a difference between standing up for yourself and being a bully." An aesop that can not be stressed enough for some people.** From "Baby Cakes", the aesop of "taking care of babies/children is hard, messy, and not always fun, but those who accomplish it deserve thanks" is something a lot of children should learn, to help them appreciate their parents better.** A missed but important one for Ponyville Confidential: Everypony contributed to the gossip column by buying the paper to see others humiliated. They have no one to blame but themselves for their secrets coming out because everypony wanted to see them embarrassed. *** It also shows how making up lies about someone on news can be very ''damaging'' to one's reputation.** "A Canterlot Wedding" has the message that even if you're right, you should have a good deal of tact in making your point.*** And on the flip end of the coin, it also gives the moral that just because a claim seems outrageous and arbitrary on the surface, it doesn't automatically mean that there isn't some level of truth behind it.** "The Crystal Empire" has the moral that sometimes, self-sacrifice is necessary for the greater good.** "One Bad Apple” has two notable points:*** First off, the episode drives home the fact that if the CMC had just talked to Applejack or another adult from the get-go (like [[OnlySaneWoman Sweetie Belle]] ''repeatedly'' tried to get the others to do), [[PoorCommunicationKills the conflict could have been resolved with a minimal amount of fuss]] (In layman’s terms, its saying that getting a responsible adult is the ''first'' thing someone should do when they’re being bullied, and that doing so doesn't make you a "snitch").*** Secondly, trying to get revenge on the bully (especially by public humiliation), makes you little better than the bully yourself.** “Wonderbolts Academy”: There is a difference between pushing yourself and just recklessness, and if you have to be careful that your actions don’t result in yourself or someone else being hurt ''especially'', if you’re a leader.** “Just for Sidekicks”: You shouldn’t try to push off your responsibilities onto someone else. Also, you shouldn’t agree to do more than you are capable of handling.** “Apple Family Reunion”: It's not about the activities you do, it's about the people you do them with. It may seem like just AnAesop, but in a world where some people hardly ever see their family and loved ones, that is something to remember.** "Keep Calm and Flutter On": Whether they be a school-yard bully, a foe with a vendetta, or even the god of all chaos himself, ''anyone'' can change for the better. You just have to give them the chance. ** "Magical Mystery Cure": The episode had a somewhat subtle anvil dropped regarding the switched Cutie Marks. You should never let BecauseDestinySaysSo dictate what you do with your life, especially if it's something that doesn't make you happy.** "Flight to the Finish" drops a very well-needed one: Don't feel sad about what you can and can't do. Focus on what you can do, and even if there are lots of things you can't do like everyone else, you're still awesome either way.** "Rarity Takes Manehatten": While generosity is a good trait to have, you should be careful to not be overly generous, as some people may take advantage of that.*** Alternatively, while there are people who will take advantage of generosity, others will be inspired by it.** "Somepony to Watch Over Me": There is such a thing as being overprotective with your younger siblings, and it could result in them being resentful that you won't give them a chance to show what they can do.** "The Cutie Map" portrays the dangers of a totalitarian society where absolute equality is enforced, while individuality and freedom of expression are forbidden. It also shows how people who have differences of talent, personality, and opinion are still able to work together and be friends despite those differences, their friendship all the stronger for them.** "Castle Sweet Castle": Your home is wherever the good memories where your friends and family are strongest.** "Made in Manehattan": You don't need to make a grand, elaborate gesture to make a difference in your community.** "The Cart Before the Ponies": Grown-ups don't always know best.** Diamond Tiara in general is a pretty big anvil on just how bad a bully can be. [[spoiler: But she also shows that even someone like her can change for the better.]]** Sunburst and Starlight's reunion and their subsequent CrowningMomentOfAwesome scenes drop two nice ones. From Sunburst, never let what you ''can't'' do stop you from utilizing the talents you do have to the fullest. And Starlight shows us that the best way to make up for misusing a talent is to find a positive way to use it and then use it in that manner to the fullest extent you can.* Jut like its parent franchise above, ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' has a number of messages worth listening too.** A big one is the importance of avoiding PoorCommunicationKills (which sometimes causes problems in FiM as well). In the first movie, it would have taken ''five minutes max'' for the Humane Five to patch things up between them and expose Sunset Shimmer's manipulations if they had talked to each other face to face about everything. In ''Rainbow Rocks'', Twilight trying to avoid letting everyone down, the Humane Five not talking their issues with the band out with each other at the start (thus letting tension build up), and Sunset's uncertainty of her place in the group and fear of speaking up (especially about the previous problems) [[spoiler:allow the Sirens to [[NearVillainVictory come dangerously close to succeeding]]]].** Though it wasn't the main message, the second film shows how nasty things can get if a friendly competition goes too far.*** The second film also shows that when it comes to bullying, turnabout is ''not'' fair play. The bullying Sunset endures from the student body ([[AdultsAreUseless and Principals Celestia and Luna]]) utterly breaks her and [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything real world victims of similar actions]] were often DrivenToSuicide.** "Friendship Games" also drives home that a competition should be done fairly, and that the participants shouldn't carried away. [[spoiler:Sci-Twi causing a RealityBleed that could destroy the human world b/c her school pressured her into trying to use magic to win is just a worst case scenario]].*** In the same film, we get shown how paying it forward when others give us a second chance to be better often results in a better outcome than trying to pay them back and that often a kind hand extended to someone who's lashing out because they're hurting is a much more effective "weapon" than blasting things in the face or throwing a punch.* The 1939 short ''WesternAnimation/PeaceOnEarth'' is a Christmastime story. In it, {{Funny Animal}}s discuss a not-so-funny topic; that is, how "men" went extinct due to warfare (UsefulNotes/WorldWarII was clearly on the horizon at the time and this was ''before'' nuclear weapons were developed, mind you). We see some of the horrors of warfare depicted WWI-style. And when the men had gone, the animals afterwards read the "[[Literature/TheBible humans' book of rules]]" and express disappointment that the humans had some good rules (e.g. ThouShaltNotKill) but weren't able follow them.** The same goes for its 1955 remake ''Good Will to Men''.* WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb: The episodes "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted" and "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo" dish out some Anvils about how children shouldn't have their creativity and imagination restricted, and how they should pursue what they want. While the Anvil-dropping itself isn't particularly subtle (in fact, the dropping of the Anvils incorporates some bleak themes, a lot of TearJerker for the characters, and even some AndIMustScream elements for a show directed to 6-11 year-olds), the Aesop is notably important (in a society where parents are keen on having their children follow in their footsteps, stifling their kids' imagination and having their true identity obliterated.)** ''Phineas and Ferb'' also gives us one of the few bearable health food aesops that have been slipped into kids shows since ever: the episode "Candace's Big Day". [[HarmlessVillain Dr. Doofenshmirtz]] hatches a plan to use his Junkfoodinator to coat all of the Tristate area's food with various hydrogenated oils and other fatty preservatives, making everyone become fat and lazy, while he hoards fruits and vegetables to keep himself healthy. But before he unleashes his scheme, he covers the healthy food with the oily mixture, tries some, and instantly becomes addicted to it. By the episode's end, he's eaten all of the fuel for the Junkfoodinator, which makes him become covered with acne, [[BalloonBelly grow a bloated stomach]], and completely lose all of his energy, all while he brags about how "healthy" he is. This over-the-top reaction is part of what makes the Aesop so effective, but it's also nice to see a kid's show explaining that foods aren't inherently "good" or 'bad" for you; rather, it's how they're prepared, and how much of them you eat, that determines whether or not they're healthy. ** "Attack Of The 50-Foot Sister" gives the message that you shouldn't be too obsessed with your looks because there are people who can take advantage of your obsession for their own gain, like how the beauty products woman made people feel worse about themselves so that they would buy her products, and the freakshow man who made people feel better by comparison to his attractions so they would spend money on his show.** The underlying theme of all the episodes, but made most obvious in songs like "Summer Belongs to You" and "Carpe Diem" is to make the most of what you've got. You don't need to do the amazing, unbelievable things that Phineas and Ferb do to have the most exciting, fulfilling life possible.** The finale drops 2 on antagonists (loosely speaking) Candace and Doof. Doof realizes that he's been letting his past control him and make him act like a villain, which he's terrible at, instead of the decent human being he actually is (bonus for Vanessa being the one to show him this). And Candace learns that allowing yourself to be consumed by a goal that isn't healthy doesn't just hurt you but everyone around you (learned by [[spoiler: accidentally erasing her brothers from existence]]).* The famous episode "WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain...and Larry" is a TakeThat at ExecutiveMeddling adding another character to a show. It shows that basically, Pinky and the Brain are meant to be a comedy ''duo'' whose opposite personalities even out the comedy and that another character will throw everything off balance. It's a [[WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain shame]] that the executives [[IgnoredAesop didn't get the message]].* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Equal Fights" introduced Femme Fatale, a StrawFeminist villain who convinces the girls that they should let her go, as both crimefighting and crime itself are male-dominated fields. The girls are so taken with Femme Fatale's teachings that they start acting completely nasty to all of the men in Townsville--including the Mayor and Professor--whenever they're asked to do something, even to boys their age. Eventually, Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane, the girl's kindergarten teacher, help bring the girls back to their senses by pointing out that they ''weren't'' being mistreated by the Mayor and the Professor--the men were legitimately asking for their help after doing a fair share of the work. The point is further hammered home by three women entering and explaining that Femme Fatale has hurt them during her crime wave. Finally, the girls themselves deliver a speech to Femme Fatale about Susan B. Anthony, who Fatale claims is her hero. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup explain that, after Anthony was arrested for voting in the nineteenth century, the judge considered simply letting her off because she was a woman and, according to both him and popular thought at the time, not capable of handling the pressures of a prison sentence; Anthony instead ''demanded'' that she be put in jail, as she had broken a law. The whole point was clear: feminism isn't about attacking men or saying that women deserve special treatment; it is about giving women the same opportunities and choices as men, making them full citizens with the same rights. It's a refreshing {{Deconstruction}} of the YouGoGirl trope.* The ''WesternAnimation/PrivateSnafu'' shorts gave really helpful anvils to the soldiers they were shown to, and some of them apply today as well...** "Gripes": What the Army puts you through may be rough, but without proper authority and training, soldiers' morale can go to pot.** "The Goldbrick": Cheating your way out of training can end up making you unfit and unprepared for when such taught tactics can be of good use.** "Fighting Tools": Your weapons can be powerful and effective if given the proper care and maintenance.** "Rumors": It shows how a small rumor can develop into a force that devastates morale and heightens fears.** "Infantry Blues": All branches of the military have their discomforts and problems, so do your very best in the position you're in instead of wishing you could do something else.** "Censored": You may not like having your letters censored, but it's necessary to ensure that no vital information falls into the enemy's hands.** "Snafuperman": it is necessary to study your maps and field manuals before you go out into the offensive.** "Outpost": [[ReassignedToAntarctica Being assigned to remote and/or unpleasant stations]] may seem like a punishment to a soldier, but is important for the Army's offensive.** "Three Brothers": Your job in the Army may seem boring, or even embarrassing, but every little thing counts.* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'':** "The Rules" dropped a surprisingly thoughtful message about blindly following laws and revering past generations. When King Bob recovers an old playground rulebook written by a past King of the Playground, he immediately starts enforcing the old King's rules on how to properly play games at recess, employing a private force of "fun police" to punish any kids who break the rules. He's so set on following the old rules that he never considers that some of the more baffling ones (requiring the kids to play four-square with an old stump, for example) are completely irrelevant to their lives, and that a previous generation's king might not have had all the answers.** The message of "The Rules" grows another layer when it turns out that King Mort, the author of the rulebook, devised his special set of rules because he went to Third Street Elementary during the Great Depression, when the school was too poor to afford proper playground equipment; with limited resources, Mort had to teach his friends to entertain themselves with what little they had. With that in mind, the children realize that they've spent so much time squabbling over how to "properly" have fun that they've forgotten to appreciate how fortunate they are.** The show as a whole repeatedly dropped the same anvil: Children ''need'' time to have fun, play together, build friendships, and in general just be kids. This is most clearly stated in "Recess Is Canceled." In the episode, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Third Street School cancels recess]] in an attempt to improve the kids' test scores. As the weeks go by, all of the children gradually become soulless, emotionless shells of their former selves who can't recognize each other or even formulate thoughts. It's only after their test scores drop dramatically that recess is reinstated, and the kids are immediately brought back to their original, joyful selves.** The episode ''Nobody Doesn't Like TJ'' revolved around TJ learning that Gordy doesn't like him. He spends the episode trying to figure out ''why'' Gordy doesn't like him; learns from Ms Finster that, even if she puts him into detention, that doesn't mean she hates him and finally trying to show Gordy how cool and fun he is, so Gordy ''would'' like him. Everything backfires and Gordy admits that his 'reason' for not liking TJ is just that: he just doesn't like him. It dropped two anvils: Just because someone punishes you for breaking the rules, doesn't mean they hate you or are nothing but horrible people (Ms Finster above) and that, harsh as it may seem, you cannot be liked by everyone in the world. Sometimes, a person just doesn't like you, for no apparent reason and trying to change that will only worsen things. Just accept it.* RegularShow:** Several episodes ("Appreciation Day","The Best Burger in the World","Wall Buddy","Paint Job") show that taking elaborate shortcuts to avoid work leads to more trouble than just doing the job you're asked to do.** "House Rules": Some rules exist for a reason.* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' have a few morals in their show, such as the episode "Rixty Minutes": don't dwell on what could have been, because no matter what, life is inherently imperfect. The best you can do is focus on what you have and try your best to enjoy it.** "Raising Gazorpazorp" is pretty blunt in its message that sexism is wrong no matter which gender it targets, and that a society where genders are separated or one gender has more power than the other would be bad in both cases. It may seem kind of didactic, but then again, with how many people in the world who still can't wrap their mind around that concept...** The episode "Something Ricked this Way Comes" is very transparent in its message that "Scientists are far more knowledgeable about science and environmental issues than any politician", a message that many would agree is more important to know than ever.** "Mortynight Run" lays it on pretty thick in conveying how one should not necessarily act in a situation until they have a clear understanding of what the situation actually is, demonstrated largely by the insane death toll brought upon by Morty's ultimately meaningless attempt to save a life, a life that he ends up killing himself anyway.** "Total Rickall" sees the Smiths' house infested with memory-altering brain parasites pretending to be close friends and family. The thing that saves them in the end is the realization that no relationship is perfect, that there will be bad memories with the people you love as well as good memories, and that some people will try to get you to focus only on the good memories just to take advantage of you.* The Christmas Episode of ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' did a unique spin on the typical ''Christmas Carol'' plot where a Scrooge (AlphaBitch Gemini "Gem" Stone) is scared into being nice for the holidays. Sabrina is fed up with Gem's attitude to Christmas (which itself gets cranked up for the episode, even having Gem make people line up to hear what gift they have to buy her, based on their family income and popularity in school) and tries to cast a spell to scare her with the Christmas Carol touch. However, it doesn't work and only makes Gem love herself even more (even after being told that she will die alone and no one will visit her grave, Gem counters that she still has her popularity even in death) so Sabrina ends up giving her a gift anyway and wishing her Merry Christmas. Gem then realizes that no one else cared to be with her on Christmas and so joins Sabrina's family for dinner. So the message becomes "Don't try to change someone just because you don't like their attitude. Instead, try being nice in the hope they'll reciprocate".* The ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' episode "Jack and the Creature" drops an anvil on a rarely touched upon aspect of pet ownership. In the episode, the eponymous Creature bonds with Jack, who, after failing to convince it to return to the wild, trains it to assist him in his quest. Unfortunately, just when the two find a way to [[SeriesGoal return Jack to his time]], the Creature eats it. Jack's anger is ''very'' understandable, but the Creature is just too simple-minded to understand and be held accountable for what he did, and why his best friend suddenly wants nothing to do with him. In the end, the Creature [[BigDamnHeroes saves Jack from a gang of bounty hunters]], teaching the moral that while it can be hard to be patient with a pet's mental incapabilities, their {{Loyal Animal Companion}}ship is worth putting up with it in the long run.* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':** "Moaning Lisa": "Don't try to bottle up your emotions. If you want to be sad, be sad. You will always have your family or friends to help see you through your crisis."-->'''Marge''': It's okay Lisa, [[StepfordSmiler you don't have to smile now]].-->'''Lisa''': But I feel like smiling!** "Bart Gets An F" shows off a rarely shown side of school in media: even if you study your hardest and try your best, you can still fail.** "Mr Lisa Goes to Washington": Idealistic belief in the political system can lead people to turn a blind eye or not notice political corruption happening under their noses, but that doesn't mean the system won't try and fix that corruption once it's genuinely aware of it. In other words, 'the price of freedom is eternal vigilance'. ** "Itchy, Scratchy, & Marge" shows us exactly what happens to a show if it deviates from itself in order to please the MoralGuardians.*** Marge also learns that censorship always breeds hypocrites, TV shows (or any form of media) shouldn't be censored just because someone doesn't like it, standing up for what you believe in sometimes isn't worth the trouble (especially if it destroys the livelihood of everyone else around you), and no matter what choices you make, there's always going to be consequences.** "Lard Of The Dance": Don't rush to grow up. Enjoy your childhood while you still have it.** "Sleeping with the Enemy": Eating disorders and insecurities about your looks aren't [[CompressedVice compressed vices]]. They don't go away in 20 minutes and sometimes will stay with you for life.** "Lisa the Vegetarian": You shouldn't try for force your beliefs on those who choose not to follow your lifestyle. Even Paul [=McCartney=] and Apu said so.** "Homer's Phobia": Parents should be more tolerant of their children's sexual preferences (so long as it's not something abhorrent or illegal).** "The Squirt and the Whale": A true animal activist respects the natural order of ''all'' animals and their instincts and and it's wrong to protect one animal if it means killing another.** As much as it is despised, "The Boys of Bummer" shows us that [[FelonyMisdemeanor shaming someone for a minor offense]] can have [[DrivenToSuicide detrimental effects on their psyche]].** "Lisa the Simpson": Lisa's TV speech about putting your brain to good use and not letting it go to waste is ''very'' powerful.** "The Cartridge Family": [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment As controversial as the gun-control argument may be]], the episode does point out that guns are not toys and that people who do not use them responsibly should not own them at all.** "Homer Badman": Editing news for entertainment purposes, as well as over-the-top or wrongful accusations, can destroy peoples' lives, and you shouldn't believe everything you hear on TV.** "The Itchy And Scratchy and Poochie Show": Don't change art in an attempt to please others, because you may end up destroying perfectly good material in the process.** "Mypods and Boomsticks": Demonizing Muslims is wrong. Given how many TV shows, in light of certain events, seem okay with portraying Arabs and Muslims as unrepentant terrorists (in fact, Homer believed his Muslim neighbors were okay until Lenny and Carl showed him an {{expy}} of ''Series/TwentyFour'' that depicted a Muslim as a unrepentant terrorist), anything that challenges anti-Muslim sentiment was welcome at the time the episode aired. The episode even notes the similarities of the plight of Muslims today to the persecution Jews had to go through decades ago.* In WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs episode "Gargamel the Generous," we get the moral that just because someone who has repeatedly tried to hurt you before says they've [[HeelFaceTurn changed]], they're probably lying and you should not give your trust to them.* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' preached a lot of messages about honesty and not taking advantage of people. One of the best examples is ''Patty Hype'', where Spongebob starts to sell Pretty Patties, a brand of brightly colored Krabby Pattie. The Pretty Patties become a runaway hit, despite Mr. Krabs and Squidward laughing in Spongebob's face. First of all, it shows you that you shouldn't give up on your dreams, even if you're laughed at because of them. And then when Mr. Krabs cheats Spongebob out of the Pretty Patty franchise, it comes back to bite him in the ass.** From the later seasons, ''Spongebob's Last Stand'', where Spongebob opposes a highway being built through Jellyfish Fields. Only Patrick supported him, but still, he tried, and in the end, he did succeed. It was a pretty good aesop about not harming the environment and caring about wildlife.** There's also the episode ''Not Normal'', in which Squidward convinces Spongebob that he needs to act "more normal." Spongebob watches a self-help video on the topic, and eventually transforms into a [[FacelessMasses bland, mediocre office worker]]. But instead of this making him happier and more accepted, it leaves him bored and miserable because he's lost all of his unique talents and the things that he used to enjoy. He and Patrick end up spending the rest of the episode trying to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong turn Spongebob "weird" again.]] The message, that "normal" is incredibly overrated and the quest to fit in can destroy the best things about you, feels very clear and strong in this episode.** In its early days, [=SpongeBob=] had a talent for dropping anvils in very non-Anvilicious ways:*** "Squirrel Jokes" shows that racist/sexist jokes are more hurtful than you think.*** "Hooks" was a realistic look at addiction. Patrick introduces Spongebob to the hooks (fish hooks) that pull you up, from which it is great fun to float down. Spongebob tries it, seeing that Patrick's not being hurt by it, and heeds his warning "not to get too high." After Mr. Krabs gives them a [[DrugsAreBad Hooks Are Bad]] speech, Spongebob rides the hooks one more time, and gets his body hooked, which effectively means death. In a scene that wouldn't be out of place on the show Series/{{Intervention}}, Spongebob faces [[spoiler:his own mortality, and then humiliation. Mr. Krabs tells Spongebob he's doomed, and puts out a Help Wanted sign. [=SpongeBob=] then has to take his clothes off in front of Pearl and the other girls to free himself. It turns out Squidward was on other end of the fishing pole.]] We also learn that people who don't seem affected by addiction really are, as Patrick is [[spoiler: canned as tuna fish, having apparently been captured]].*** Similarly, "Skill Crane" illustrates the seductive nature of gambling. Mr. Krabs installs a skill crane game at the Krusty Krab, and Squidward becomes so obsessed with winning that he spends his life savings in quarters to do so. Bonus points for framing the issue in terms of a game children are familiar with, and probably was/will be their first introduction to the concept.*** "Jellyfish Hunter" has a message about animal abuse that goes on in food processing plants. When Spongebob introduces jellyfish jelly to the Krabby Patty menu to much popularity, Mr. Krabs sees this as an opportunity to expand business and gets Spongebob to hunt every jellyfish he can find. The problem arise when Spongebob thoughtlessly hunting all but one jellyfish down from their habitat to feed Mr. Krabs' need. He soon learns Mr.Krabs has made a giant assembly line [[NightmareFuel that essentially drains all the jellyfish of their jelly]] [[FridgeHorror and likely kills them.]] Spongebob frees all the imprisoned ones and its made quite clear that Spongebob's method of getting jellyfish jam, taking out a small amount and leaving them alive to replenish themselves so it can be done again, was the correct one and not Mr. Krabs' practice of overfishing them to death.*** "Ripped Pants" shows that while some jokes can be funny, they can very easily overstay their welcome and become annoying instead. It also makes it very clear that pretending to be dying or seriously hurt for the sake of a joke is ''[[DudeNotFunny not okay]]''.* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':** Open Book" helps teach that it's trivial for friends to fight over things like fantasy books by having Connie not be mad at Steven despite him liking the ending of the "Spirit Morph Saga" even though she hated it. It delivers the message more when she says that it's just a book, showing that you shouldn't care about stuff like book series or TV shows more than your friends.** "Say Uncle" has the message that you shouldn't judge others just because they're different, you don't understand them, or you don't like their sense of humor or personality and that you shouldn't just blindly hate things. This message was especially needed after the behavior of a chunk of the SU fandom towards fans of both 'WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa'', and even the show Uncle Grandpa itself.** "Love Letters" provides two regarding love and relationships: 1) LoveAtFirstSight doesn't exist. Real love takes time and work, and you have to know the person. And 2) If someone is interested in you and you don't feel the same way, you are in your own rights to reject them.*** On a related message, "We Need To Talk" deals with the problems of rushing into a relationship. ** The theme of consent is often explored through fusions- whether it's Stevonnie reaffirming their desire to stay fused, the literal forced fusion experiments done by Homeworld or [[spoiler: Garnet becoming furious to Pearl due to fusing with her under false pretenses]], the writers want to make it very clear how important consent is (unless you're a bad guy, then it doesn't matter).** Stevenbomb 3 shows an uncommon lesson in cartoons: not all conflicts will be resolved by the end of the day. If someone is seriously upset about something that you did, it's going to take some time for them to forgive you. It also seems to preach several things about interpersonal conflicts:*** "Cry for Help" is about how easy it is to mess up a relationship over something trivial to you, but serious to another.*** "Keystone Motel" looks at the process of solving interpersonal conflicts; Ruby doesn't want to forgive Pearl yet, citing her rage at how much she feels betrayed by Pearl. Sapphire wants nothing but to forgive Pearl and move on, ending the conflict. Both of these perspectives are revealed to be bad by the end of the episode: Ruby just wanted an excuse to be angry and not have to forgive anyone, while Sapphire neglected her own personal feelings for the sake of pragmatism. In the end, they reconcile, and come to the conclusion that while they will eventually forgive Pearl, they aren't ready to just yet. You have a right to be angry at someone for something they did, but in the end, keeping a conflict alive will only cause more turmoil, while ending it before everyone is ready will satisfy no-one.*** "Friend Ship": Pearl's constant attempts to force forgiveness on Garnet only made the situation worse for everyone, leading to the Aesop of "people will forgive when they are ready, and trying to force someone to forgive another is wrong." There's also a secondary one: talking about your weaknesses enables healthy communication and understanding; Pearl's issues that caused most of the conflict are revealed to have come about because she saw Garnet as "the perfect relationship" and as a source of strength with no weaknesses that Pearl herself could never achieve because she's [[SlaveRace "just a Pearl"]]. Garnet responds by saying that she does have weaknesses but she [[TheReliableOne has to work in spite of them for the group's sake]] and that she draws strength from Pearl, [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre giving several reasons why]].** "Historical Friction" has the message that everyone makes mistakes, and the important thing is to learn from said mistakes and keep trying. An especially important message considering the events of "Cry for Help".** "Nightmare Hospital" and "Sadie's Song" both seem to have the message that you should talk to your parents about your problems and confront them if they're being to controlling so you can work things out.** "Onion Friend": Even those who seem eccentric or weird can be great friends once you get to know them.** "Coach Steven": Devotion and awareness are key points to being strong, and strength is more than just physical.** "Story For Steven": After Greg's former manager Marty makes a rather objectifying comment suggesting Greg should ditch "one huge woman" (Rose Quartz) for "multiple small ones", Greg responds back proclaiming that women are people.** "Alone at Sea" has a pretty obvious metaphor for abusive relationships, and how breaking free of them is important, while emphasizing the guilt that abuse victims often feel (even though the relationship shown is strangely two-sided, with both individuals being poisenous to each other. The difference being that one of them actually feels bad about it and refuses to go back.)* While one might be inclined to think that the morals of sharing, compromise, and getting along belong solely in little kids' shows, The ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' episode "Elephant Logic" challenges that line of thinking. Throughout the episode, the neighborhood kids are able to solve their problems efficiently thanks to the lessons from their ''Animal Buddies'' show, while Lance and Ilana are stuck squabbling. After checking out what ''Animal Buddies'' has to say, Octus [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments hilariously]] drops the anvil that one shouldn't write off these morals for little kids, as there are many grown-ups who could stand to learn them.* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' had its fourth season with Leonardo becoming more brooding and prone to anger due to the near death battle with the Utrom Shredder in the season 3 finale. For those episodes, he was prone to treating his brothers more strictly and would scold them for clowning around or not taking their fights seriously. In the episode "The Ancient One" during a training match, his growing anger at not getting better caused him to hurt Splinter, finally breaking him out of this. This was the first aesop, deal with your problems instead of ignoring help, which he did when Usagi tried to talk to him the previous episode, or else your anger will cause you to hurt people you care about. Being sent to the Ancient One during a very Empire Strikes Back like adventure with the Ancient One as Yoda, Leo also learned that failure isn't always a bad thing as once can learn from it and grow stronger. Being obsessed with perfection and avoiding failure can make you your own worst enemy.* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' has a minor theme about not allowing friendships to be ruined. Splinter and Shredder were once the best of friends until they competed for Tang Shen's affections. Saki went as far as to provoke Splinter, and instead of trying to mend their friendship, the two allowed their rivalry to become hatred, resulting in Splinter losing everything he loved. Then there's the incident with April turning her back on the turtles after they accidentally mutate her father into a giant bat. Casey tells her about how he unintentionally allowed his best friend Nick to hate him after accidentally hurting him, which convinces her not to allow an accident to turn her back on her friends. Had Splinter and Shredder did what April had done and try remain friends after everything, Splinter could have lived a happier life while Shredder could have moved on.* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' sometimes has individual aesops for an episode, but overall the series stresses kindness and mercy towards all, and that self-absorbed pride can have dire consequences. The series starts out with Thundera being destroyed by the lizards once they get a hold of lost technology, because the cats were so racist and oppressive of the other races due to arrogance. The rest of the series has Lion-O, the new king, repeatedly defy the ways of his people and tries to aid everyone regardless of race or faction. This includes letting lizard soldiers go and giving them the choice to desert the army and go back home, then freeing them when they were going to be executed. Even before that, lizard prisoners he freed in Thundera freed him when Thundera fell. Lion-O's actions frequently pay off for him in the end, when someone he helped in the past comes to aid him in a time of need. This is in contrast to Mumm-Ra, who uses the lizards' hatred of the cats to recruit them, and then recruits generals who are just psychotic {{Blood Knight}}s to scare the rest of the troops into fighting on. The anvil being dropped is be good to others, and they'll be good to you.* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' in one episode "Webworld" it actually have two messages, they were 1) Institutionalized medical care can't cure mental illnesses and could actually make the patient worse and 2) Forcing someone to have therapy, despite how good their intentions are or how desperately they need it, won't work.* WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime had a nice one in an early episode when Jack demands that the Bots go after his school bully when said bully is mistakenly abducted by the Decepticons: yes he may not like said bully and yes said bully ''is'' a jerk but he's still a ''person'' and also an innocent bystander in the Cybertronian conflict.* While the main message of ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder" is that ThePowerOfLove is stronger than ThePowerOfHate, as reflected by AllLovingHero Wander always escaping Lord Hater, the show does drop a number of other anvils.** The second main message is, similar to ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', is that TheWorldIsJustAwesome, and you should appreciate it.** "The Good Deed" shows that you should be careful when you try to do a good deed, or you can make things ''worse''.** "The Fremergency Frontract" and "The Boy Wander" both carry the message that while friendship and fun are good, it's wrong to force them on people who don't want it.** "The Wanders" has the message that you have to accept ''all'' parts of yourself and the people you care about.* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheWeekenders'' chronicles Tino and his overwhelming fear of clowns to the point he's reverted to the fetal position when just seeing ''an image'' of one. It's all somewhat PlayedForLaughs, but his friends and his mom try to convince him that his fear is wrecking his life and that he should try and face it. He admits he does need help and does face his fear... at a nearby circus clown school. By the end of the episode he isn't fully ''cured'' of his phobia, but he can "live with it now", even saying that fear is okay as long as it doesn't take over your life.** An in-universe example in another episode has Tish deciding to conduct a study on human behavior. She acts horribly to all her test subjects, eventually causing them to walk out on her. She's learned her lesson by the end of the episode and announces to her friends that - in a touch of {{Irony}} - ''she'' ended up the subject of her own study: that when you need someone to help you, they respond better to positive reinforcement. Tino then points out that it took three days for her to basically learn "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar". Still a good lesson though.** The episode where Tish is part of a Shakespeare play has a nice one about how something outside of your comfort zone can still be fun; Tino, Lor and Carver all loved the play despite only going for Tish's sake.** Tino's mom drops a nice one after she finds out he's trying to change his image to attract girls. She first tries the whole "Tish and Lor like you for you right?" which he takes to mean that being himself will get him girls. Most shows would stop there but not this one. She then extends it to "No. You can be yourself and people still won't like you. Be yourself because yourself is who you should be. Because if you're not you, you won't like you." It's been pointed out that the additional message to BeYourself models a ''much'' better mindset and if followed, will make a person a much better romantic partner.** In "Grow Up", two related ones get dropped when Tino tries to act "grown up" after an embarrassment involving a juvenile trampoline. One, growing up doesn't mean you have to give up all parts of being a kid (highlighted by his mom jumping on the trampoline with the rest of the kids). And two, just because something isn't targeted at your age group (or whatever group you belong to), that doesn't mean [[PeripheryDemographic you can't like it]].* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' has one throughout the series about divorces. Divorces are hard, and getting over it is even harder. Most people who get divorces ''won't'' get back together. But those who get divorces can still be good parents. Actively wishing and dreaming that they'll get back together is ''not'' the right thing to do. Those getting a divorce simply need to listen to each other. That doesn't mean get back together, it means being understanding of the other person, and anyone else who may be affected by all of this.** Not all your teenage loves will last, and AllGirlsWantBadBoys is a ''[[UnfortunateImplications horrible]]'' [[UnfortunateImplications mindset]] when the "bad boy" [[TookALevelInJerkass has become such an asshole over time.]] [[spoiler: Musa and Riven]] were an unstable couple with little hope of making things better, and it's better for everyone that it ended.** You ''can'' move on after your first love, even if he/she has died. That doesn't make that love any less "real," it just means that you are able to move on with your life.* The 1972 Peanuts TV special ''You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown'' is based off a series of strips from October 1964 in which Linus runs for school president. Linus becomes a messianic figure in the election, making a number of outrageous campaign promises such as doing away with kindergarten graduations, demanding wage increases for faculty, and welcoming dogs on school grounds. [[spoiler: At the end, despite nearly blowing the election by talking about the Great Pumpkin during one of his speeches, he wins by one vote (his opponent's vote, to be exact). At the end, Sally, who was counting on Linus to do something about the door to her locker that she couldn't open, takes him to the principal to talk about his platform, where he is grimly reminded that he's still a student and has no real power whatsoever. Sally accuses him of selling out and storms off, kicking one of the locker doors as she goes--and managing to open it.]] Basically, it teaches that political candidates can promise you the world but don't always deliver, and sometimes you're better off solving your own problems.----